Our Commitment to People
We are committed to supporting the well-being, development and reward of our people by providing a workplace where there is equality of opportunity, valuing of diversity and the promotion of a culture of inclusion and belonging.
Inclusion is at the heart of our ‘people plan’. It is our aim to fully use people’s skills and talents by creating an open and inclusive workplace culture so that everyone can work together with dignity, respect and truly feel valued.
We want a work environment where our people are treated as individuals, not stereotyped or classified into a single social categorisation. We will therefore support and promote all aspects of our people to ensure that everyone has the equality of opportunity, perform to their best ability, are able to develop and to be themselves.
Through our recruitment strategy we will ensure that our processes are fair, objective and bias free. Our aim is to recruit and retain a diversity of applicants, who will bring with them a wealth of experiences and thinking.
Our leaders will be central to creating an open and inclusive culture. We will develop and support them to be successful, competent and professional leaders, who will create an environment where others are able to express themselves, be free to voice their opinions and to be themselves.
We will support all colleagues through learning and awareness to eliminate bias and prejudice in the workplace and give everyone the skills to robustly challenge and manage inappropriate behaviour.
Inclusivity means not ‘just we’re allowed to be there,’ but we are valued. I’ve always said: smart teams will do amazing things, but truly diverse teams will do impossible things.
Claudia Brind-Woody, Vice President & MD for Global Intellectual Property Licensing, IBM
Diversity is what happens when you have representation of various groups in one place. Representation is what happens when groups that haven’t previously been included, are included. Intersectionality is what happens when we do everything through the lens of making sure that no one is left behind. More than surface-level inclusion, or merely making sure everyone is represented, intersectionality is the practice of interrogating the power dynamics and rationales of how we can be together
Alicia Garza, American activist
If you haven’t got the best talent you’re not going to be the best, if you’re not representing properly the available pool of talent then you’re missing an opportunity
Alex Wilmot-Sitwell, Partner at Perella Weinberg Partners
Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation.
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Biographer and Historian
Our plan we will therefore support a workplace that:
- Encourages a sense of belonging, so that everyone feels able to come to work and be themselves.
- Support everyone’s well-being and dignity, where there is no fear of bias or prejudice, so that everyone feels safe and accepted.
- Reflects the community that we serve.
- Allows everyone the opportunity to voice their concerns, thoughts and challenge without reprisal.
- Supports a culture of positive psychological well-being.
- Gives a sense of value and respects where everyone feels rewarded, developed and appreciated.
- Supports and develops everyone to understand the value of equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Encourages the involvement of everyone in the design and development of their work environment.
- Develops managers to be able to promote and encourage inclusion within the workplace.
This commitment is the foundation of our plan
External Influences
There are many external influences that will impact on the world of work over the next four years.
- Economy: The UK faces a long road to recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is likely to be significant pressure on public funds in a post Covid world. For us this will mean how we can best deliver our services whilst looking after our workforce. We will need to be transparent regarding the budgetary pressure we face as an organisation and encourage involvement in designing new ways of working.
- Technology: There is a major push towards a digital approach to service delivery and self- service. We now need to build on what we have learnt through Covid to explore how technology could support our customers and create efficiencies.
- Environmental pressure: The reduction of our carbon footprint through our working practices e.g. reducing commute with home working and better use of technology.
- Societal differences are increasing and are exacerbated by rising unemployment (particularly younger and older), aging population, digital divide and various community cohesion issues. We need to be conscious of these divides and recognise them in the delivery of our services.
- Well-being issues are becoming more complex in a challenging world. Access to healthcare will be difficult over the next few years. We therefore need to factor into our planning how we might bridge that gap.
- On-going changes in Pension legislation could have an effect on establishment numbers. This may result in a loss of expertise in a short period and require greater investment in recruitment.
- The nature of work itself and its balance with life are being tested by changing aspirations of new generations. Covid has shown that we can work differently.